Australia has started to receive the first batch of “smart” sea mines, which have already seen some use during training and multinational drills, according to Air Vice Marshall Leon Philips, head of the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise (GWEO) in comments made during the 21st Australian Defence Magazine Congress today.
Australia did not disclose the mine’s type or the quantity. These mines are from RWM Italia as a part of Project SEA 2000 Maritime Mining. Australia plans to deploy these aboard manned and unmanned watercraft.
The last Liberal-led national government pledged to purchase these mines as a part of the 2020 Defence Force Structure Plan, which was criticized due to lack of funding. To remedy this, the current Labor-led government has undertaken a reorganization of the Integrated Investment Plan (IIP) created in 2016 to break down costs.
Project SEA 2000 was successful, unlike past efforts in the early 2000s. Australia plans to localize sea mine development in the future, along with other weapon programs.
